Thursday, December 29, 2011

M3 Stuart Part 3- Finishing Touches by Max

After the wash was completely dry I went back and hit some of the areas with a little darker concentration. The gas caps on the deck (to simulate fuel spills) and several areas on the rear deck (to simulate oil or fuel spills), and the area around the rear engine access doors. Once these dried I worked on the tracks. Using a wash of light brown I tried to hit the tracks only to simulate dried mud and sand. The vehicle received very light stippling on the areas where the crew used to get in the vehicle, the fenders and other areas using Vallejo Gunmetal.

The highlighting then started. Using lightened base colors (I used Vallejo Flesh Tone to lighten the paint) I highlighted the areas on the vehicle. I did this twice. The second time was on the extreme most raised parts of the vehicle. The vehicle was then set aside to dry.

The vehicle received three very light dry brushes using successively lighter coats of the Vallejo Iraqi Sand. I wanted the dry brushing to be very subtle. Once this was completed I sealed the model with Vallejo Matt Varnish using a brush. Two light coats were used.

The final stage was weathering. I used Vallejo Green Earth pigment and gave the miniature a nice medium coat. Then sealed the pigments using Tamiya Lacquer Thinner. Once this dried, a second coat was given on the lower hull and Vallejo Black pigment was used in the rear engine area and muzzle to simulate exhaust and powder.

Overall I rate this project a 8 out of 10. Starting with a bad casting and being the first time I'd ever painted Caunter, I think it came out pretty good. Once the new Battlefront M-3 Honey box set comes out I'll have to give them a go.